U.S. patent application number 15/352194 was filed with the patent office on 2017-11-09 for connecting an electronic component to an interactive textile.
This patent application is currently assigned to Google Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Google Inc.. Invention is credited to Nan-Wei Gong, Megan Grant, Patricia Hayes-Danitz, Mustafa Emre Karagozler, Ivan Poupyrev, Karen Elizabeth Robinson.
Application Number | 20170325337 15/352194 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57590803 |
Filed Date | 2017-11-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170325337 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Karagozler; Mustafa Emre ;
et al. |
November 9, 2017 |
Connecting an Electronic Component to an Interactive Textile
Abstract
This document describes techniques and apparatuses for
connecting an electronic component to an interactive textile. Loose
conductive threads of the interactive textile are collected and
organized into a ribbon with a pitch that matches a corresponding
pitch of connection points of the electronic component. Next,
non-conductive material of the conductive threads of the ribbon are
stripped to expose the conductive wires of the conductive threads.
After stripping the non-conductive material from the conductive
threads of the ribbon, the connection points of the electronic
component are bonded to the conductive wires of the ribbon. The
conductive threads proximate the ribbon are then sealed using a
UV-curable or heat-curable epoxy, and the electronic component and
the ribbon are encapsulated to the interactive textile with a
water-resistant material, such as plastic or polymer.
Inventors: |
Karagozler; Mustafa Emre;
(Mountain View, CA) ; Poupyrev; Ivan; (Sunnyvale,
CA) ; Gong; Nan-Wei; (Cambridge, MA) ;
Robinson; Karen Elizabeth; (Mountain View, CA) ;
Hayes-Danitz; Patricia; (Menlo Park, CA) ; Grant;
Megan; (San Francisco, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Google Inc. |
Mountain View |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Google Inc.
Mountain View
CA
|
Family ID: |
57590803 |
Appl. No.: |
15/352194 |
Filed: |
November 15, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62331111 |
May 3, 2016 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H05K 1/147 20130101;
H01R 43/28 20130101; D03D 11/00 20130101; H05K 1/038 20130101; H05K
2201/09063 20130101; G06F 3/0443 20190501; H01R 43/005 20130101;
H03K 17/962 20130101; G06F 3/0447 20190501; G06F 3/0446 20190501;
H05K 2201/10287 20130101; G06F 3/044 20130101; Y10T 29/49171
20150115; G06F 2203/04103 20130101; H05K 3/34 20130101; D03D 1/0088
20130101; A41D 1/005 20130101; D10B 2401/16 20130101; D03D 25/005
20130101 |
International
Class: |
H05K 3/34 20060101
H05K003/34; G06F 3/044 20060101 G06F003/044; H03K 17/96 20060101
H03K017/96 |
Claims
1. A method for connecting an electronic component to an
interactive textile, the method comprising: collecting and
organizing loose conductive threads of the interactive textile into
a ribbon with a pitch that matches a corresponding pitch of
connection points of the electronic component; stripping
non-conductive material of the conductive threads of the ribbon to
expose conductive wires of the conductive threads; bonding the
connection points of the electronic component to the exposed
conductive wires of the ribbon; sealing the conductive threads at
the base of the ribbon with an epoxy; and encapsulating the
electronic component and the ribbon with a water-resistant
material.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the collecting and organizing
comprises collecting and organizing the loose conductive threads
with a comb tool that includes openings that are spaced based on
the corresponding pitch of the connection points.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising forming the ribbon by:
arranging the loose conductive threads within the openings of the
comb tool; placing a film over the arranged conductive threads
within the comb tool; and applying heat to the film to secure the
arranged conductive threads.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the pitch of the comb tool is
mechanically-adjustable.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the stripping non-conductive
material of the conductive threads of the ribbon comprises applying
a hot blade to the conductive threads of the ribbon to melt or burn
the non-conductive material from the conductive threads of the
ribbon.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein a temperature of the hot blade
configured to melt or burn the non-conductive material of the
conductive threads without melting or burning the conductive wires
of the conductive threads.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the stripping non-conductive
material of the conductive threads of the ribbon comprises applying
a laser beam to the conductive threads of the ribbon to abate the
non-conductive material from the conductive threads of the
ribbon.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein an absorption of the laser is low
to cause the laser beam to abate the non-conductive material of the
conductive threads without abating the conductive wires of the
conductive threads.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the bonding connection points of
the electronic component to the exposed conductive wires of the
ribbon further comprises: aligning the exposed conductive wires of
the ribbon with the connection points of the electronic component;
and pressing a hot bar with solder against the exposed conductive
wires and the connection points to cause each exposed conductive
wire to bond to a respective connection point of the electronic
component.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the sealing the conductive
threads at the base of the ribbon with an epoxy comprises: applying
the epoxy to each of the conductive threads at the base of the
ribbon; and curing the epoxy with UV light or heat.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the epoxy is simultaneously
applied to each of the conductive threads at the base of the ribbon
using a multi-head nozzle.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein the epoxy is individually
applied to each of the conductive threads at the base of the ribbon
using a single-head nozzle.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the encapsulating the electronic
component and the ribbon with a water-resistant material comprises:
placing the electronic component and the ribbon into a mold;
applying the water-resistant material to the mold such that the
water-resistant material hardens around the electronic component
and the ribbon.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the water-resistant material
comprises a plastic or a polymer.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic component
comprises a flexible circuit board.
16. The method of claim 1, wherein the conductive wires comprises
copper wires.
17. A system for connecting an electronic component to an
interactive textile, the system comprising: a ribbonization
component comprising a comb tool and a heating element, the
ribbonization component configured to collect and organize loose
conductive threads of the interactive textile using the comb tool
and press the heating element over a film placed over the organized
conductive threads in the comb tool to form a ribbon; a stripping
component configured comprising a hot blade, the stripping
component configured to apply the hot blade to the organized
conductive threads in the comb tool to strip non-conductive
material from the conductive threads to expose conductive wires of
the conductive threads; and a bonding component comprising a hot
bar, the bonding component configured to press the hot bar prepped
with solder against the exposed conductive wires and the connection
points to cause each exposed conductive wire to bond to a
respective connection point of the electronic component.
18. The system of claim 17, wherein the comb tool includes openings
that are spaced based on a corresponding pitch of the connection
points.
19. The system of claim 17, further comprising a sealing component,
the sealing component configured to apply epoxy to each of the
conductive threads at the base of the ribbon and cure the epoxy
with UV light or heat to seal the conductive threads at the base of
the ribbon.
20. The system of claim 17, further comprising an encapsulation
component configured to place the electronic component and the
ribbon into a mold and apply a water resistant-material to the mold
such that the water-resistant material hardens and forms an
encapsulation around the electronic component and the ribbon.
Description
PRIORITY
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Ser. No. 62/331,111 filed on May 3, 2016, the
disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its
entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] An interactive textile includes conductive thread woven into
the interactive textile to form a capacitive touch sensor that is
configured to detect touch-input. The interactive textile can
process the touch-input to generate touch data that is usable to
initiate functionality at various remote devices that are
wirelessly coupled to the interactive textile. For example, the
interactive textile may aid users in controlling volume on a
stereo, pausing a movie playing on a television, or selecting a
webpage on a desk top computer. Due to the flexibility of textiles,
the interactive textile may be easily integrated within flexible
objects, such as clothing, handbags, fabric casings, hats, and so
forth.
[0003] The interactive textile includes a grid or array of
conductive thread woven into the interactive textile. Each
conductive thread includes a conductive wire (e.g., a copper wire)
that is twisted, braided, or wrapped with one or more flexible
threads (e.g., polyester or cotton threads). It is difficult,
however, for manufacturers to attach individual conductive threads
to electronic components that may include electronics such as a
processor, battery, wireless unit, sensors, and so forth.
SUMMARY
[0004] This document describes techniques and apparatuses for
connecting an electronic component to an interactive textile. An
interactive textile may include conductive thread woven into the
interactive textile to form a capacitive touch sensor that is
configured to detect touch-input. The conductive thread includes a
conductive wire (e.g., a copper wire) that is twisted, braided, or
wrapped with one or more flexible threads (e.g., polyester or
cotton threads). To connect an electronic component to the
conductive threads of the interactive textile, loose conductive
threads of the interactive textile are collected and organized into
a ribbon with a pitch that matches a corresponding pitch of
connection points of the electronic component. Next, non-conductive
material of the conductive threads of the ribbon are stripped to
expose the conductive wires of the conductive threads. After
stripping the non-conductive material from the conductive threads
of the ribbon, the connection points of the electronic component
are bonded to the conductive wires of the ribbon. The conductive
threads proximate the ribbon are then sealed using a UV-curable or
heat-curable epoxy, and the electronic component and the ribbon are
encapsulated to the interactive textile with a water-resistant
material, such as plastic or polymer.
[0005] This summary is provided to introduce simplified concepts
concerning connecting an electronic component to an interactive
textile, which is further described below in the Detailed
Description. This summary is not intended to identify essential
features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for use
in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] Embodiments of techniques and devices for connecting an
electronic component to an interactive textile are described with
reference to the following drawings. The same numbers are used
throughout the drawings to reference like features and
components:
[0007] FIG. 1 is an illustration of an example environment in which
an interactive textile may be embodied.
[0008] FIG. 2 illustrates an example system that includes an
interactive textile and a gesture manager.
[0009] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of an interactive textile in
accordance with one or more implementations.
[0010] FIG. 4 illustrates an example connection system which may be
utilized to connect an electronic component to an interactive
textile in accordance with one or more implementations.
[0011] FIG. 5 illustrates a system in which the ribbonization
component of FIG. 4 is implemented to arrange loose conductive
threads of an interactive textile into a ribbon.
[0012] FIG. 6A illustrates an example of a comb tool of a
ribbonization component in accordance with various
implementations.
[0013] FIG. 6B illustrates an additional example of the comb tool
of the ribbonization component in accordance with various
implementations.
[0014] FIG. 6C illustrates an example of a heating element of the
ribbonization component in accordance with various
implementations.
[0015] FIG. 7 illustrates a system in which the stripping component
of FIG. 4 is implemented to remove non-conductive material from
conductive threads of a ribbon in accordance with one or more
implementations.
[0016] FIG. 8A illustrates an example of a stripping component in
accordance with one or more implementations.
[0017] FIG. 8B illustrates an additional example of the stripping
component in accordance with one or more implementations.
[0018] FIG. 8C illustrates an additional example of the stripping
component in accordance with one or more implementations.
[0019] FIG. 9 illustrates a system in which the bonding component
of FIG. 4 is implemented to bond an electronic component to
conductive threads of a ribbon.
[0020] FIG. 10 illustrates a system in which the sealing component
of FIG. 4 is implemented to seal the conductive threads in
accordance with one or more implementations.
[0021] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of epoxy tools in accordance
with one or more implementations.
[0022] FIG. 12 illustrates a system in which the encapsulation
component of FIG. 4 is implemented to encapsulate an electronic
component bonded to an interactive textile.
[0023] FIG. 13 illustrates an example method of connecting an
electronic component to an interactive textile.
[0024] FIG. 14 illustrates various components of an example
computing system that can be implemented as any type of client,
server, and/or computing device as described with reference to the
previous FIGS. 1-13 to implement connecting an electronic component
to an interactive textile.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] Overview
[0026] An interactive textile includes conductive thread woven into
the interactive textile to form a capacitive touch sensor that is
configured to detect touch-input. The interactive textile can
process the touch-input to generate touch data that is usable to
initiate functionality at various remote devices that are
wirelessly coupled to the interactive textile. For example, the
interactive textile may aid users in controlling volume on a
stereo, pausing a movie playing on a television, or selecting a
webpage on a desk top computer. Due to the flexibility of textiles,
the interactive textile may be easily integrated within flexible
objects, such as clothing, handbags, fabric casings, hats, and so
forth.
[0027] In order to enable the interactive textile to sense
multi-touch input, a connection process is applied to attach
conductive threads, arranged in a grid or an array, to an
electronic component, such as a flexible printed circuit board
("PCB"). The attachment process may include a ribbonization process
in which a comb tool is utilized to collect and organize loose
conductive threads that break out of the fabric surface of the
interactive textile into a pitch that matches a corresponding pitch
of connection points of the electronic component. The comb tool
increases the speed and efficiency of the ribbonization process by
being configured to properly space the conductive threads such that
they correspond to the pitch of the connection points of the
electronic component. In one or more implementations, the pitch of
the comb tool may be mechanically-adjustable to enable the
manufacturer to adjust the comb tool to the pitch of connection
points of the particular electronic component. Then, a ribbon is
generated by securing the organized conductive threads using a heat
pressed film (e.g., tape, molded polymer silicone, or hot glue).
Generating a ribbon, in which the conductive threads are arranged
in a manner that corresponds to the pitch of the connection points
of the electronic component enables easy alignment of the
connection points of the electronic component with respective
conductive threads of the ribbon.
[0028] Each conductive thread includes non-conductive material
(e.g., silk, cotton, polyester or enamel) and a conductive wire
(e.g., copper). The non-conductive material must be removed to
enable the attachment of conductive threads to the connection
points of the electronic component. Thus, after generating the
ribbon, a stripping process is applied to remove the non-conductive
material from the conductive threads of the ribbon so that the
conductive wires are exposed. The stripping process may be
performed in a variety of different ways, such as by heat stripping
the conductive threads using a heating element (e.g., a heat
pressed knife) that burns or melts the non-conductive material. In
this case, a temperature of the heating element may be configured
to melt or burn the non-conductive material of the conductive
threads without melting or burning the conductive wire. When a heat
pressed knife is used, the non-conductive material can be stripped
from the conductive threads of the ribbon at a single time, making
the process efficient. As another example, a laser beam can be
utilized to abate the non-conductive material. In this case, an
absorption of the laser is low to cause the laser beam to abate the
non-conductive material without abating the conductive wire.
[0029] Next, a bonding process is applied to bond the exposed
conductive wires of the ribbon to connection points of the
electronic component. To do so, the conductive wires of the ribbon
are aligned to the connection points of the electronic component
with solder, and heat is applied to bond the connection points of
the electronic component to the conductive threads of the ribbon.
Since the conductive wires of the ribbon have the same pitch as the
connection points of the electronic component, this process is
similar to attaching standard cables.
[0030] In some embodiments, after bonding the electronic component
to the stripped conductive threads of the ribbon, a sealing and
encapsulation process may be applied to protect the conductive
wires and the electronic component from water ingress and
corrosion. In the sealing process, the conductive threads, adjacent
to the ribbon are sealed with a UV-curable or heat-curable epoxy.
Then, in the encapsulation process, the electronic component that
is attached to the conductive threads is permanently mounted on the
interactive textile by encapsulating the electronic component and
the ribbon with a water-resistant material, such as plastic or
polymer.
[0031] Example Environment
[0032] FIG. 1 is an illustration of an example environment 100 in
which an interactive textile may be embodied. Environment 100
includes an interactive textile 102, which is shown as being
integrated within various objects 104. Interactive textile 102 is a
textile that is configured to sense multi-touch input. As described
herein, a textile corresponds to any type of flexible woven
material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibers,
often referred to as thread or yarn. Textiles may be formed by
weaving, knitting, crocheting, knotting, or pressing threads
together.
[0033] In environment 100, objects 104 include "flexible" objects,
such as a shirt 104-1, a hat 104-2, and a handbag 104-3. It is to
be noted, however, that interactive textile 102 may be integrated
within any type of flexible object made from fabric or a similar
flexible material, such as articles of clothing, blankets, shower
curtains, towels, sheets, bed spreads, or fabric casings of
furniture, to name just a few. Interactive textile 102 may be
integrated within flexible objects 104 in a variety of different
ways, including weaving, sewing, gluing, and so forth.
[0034] In this example, objects 104 further include "hard" objects,
such as a plastic cup 104-4 and a hard smart phone casing 104-5. It
is to be noted, however, that hard objects 104 may include any type
of "hard" or "rigid" object made from non-flexible or semi-flexible
materials, such as plastic, metal, aluminum, and so on. For
example, hard objects 104 may also include plastic chairs, water
bottles, plastic balls, or car parts, to name just a few.
Interactive textile 102 may be integrated within hard objects 104
using a variety of different manufacturing processes. In one or
more implementations, injection molding is used to integrate
interactive textiles 102 into hard objects 104.
[0035] Interactive textile 102 enables a user to control object 104
that the interactive textile 102 is integrated with, or to control
a variety of other computing devices 106 via a network 108.
Computing devices 106 are illustrated with various non-limiting
example devices: server 106-1, smart phone 106-2, laptop 106-3,
computing spectacles 106-4, television 106-5, camera 106-6, tablet
106-7, desk top 106-8, and smart watch 106-9, though other devices
may also be used, such as home automation and control systems,
sound or entertainment systems, home appliances, security systems,
net books, and e-readers. Note that computing device 106 can be
wearable (e.g., computing spectacles and smart watches),
non-wearable but mobile (e.g., laptop and tablets), or relatively
immobile (e.g., desk tops and servers).
[0036] Network 108 includes one or more of many types of wireless
or partly wireless communication networks, such as a
local-area-network (LAN), a wireless local-area-network (WLAN), a
personal-area-network (PAN), a wide-area-network (WAN), an
intranet, the Internet, a peer-to-peer network, point-to-point
network, a mesh network, and so forth.
[0037] Interactive textile 102 can interact with computing devices
106 by transmitting touch data through network 108. Computing
device 106 uses the touch data to control computing device 106 or
applications at computing device 106. As an example, consider that
interactive textile 102 integrated at shirt 104-1 may be configured
to control the user's smart phone 106-2 in the user's pocket,
television 106-5 in the user's home, smart watch 106-9 on the
user's wrist, or various other appliances in the user's house, such
as thermostats, lights, music, and so forth. For example, the user
may be able to swipe up or down on interactive textile 102
integrated within the user's shirt 104-1 to cause the volume on
television 106-5 to go up or down, to cause the temperature
controlled by a thermostat in the user's house to increase or
decrease, or to turn on and off lights in the user's house. Note
that any type of touch, tap, swipe, hold, or stroke gesture may be
recognized by interactive textile 102.
[0038] In more detail, consider FIG. 2 which illustrates an example
system 200 that includes an interactive textile and a gesture
manager. In system 200, interactive textile 102 is integrated in an
object 104, which may be implemented as a flexible object (e.g.,
shirt 104-1, hat 104-2, or handbag 104-3) or a hard object (e.g.,
plastic cup 104-4 or smart phone casing 104-5).
[0039] Interactive textile 102 is configured to sense
multi-touch-input from a user when one or more fingers of the
user's hand touch interactive textile 102. Interactive textile 102
may also be configured to sense full-hand touch input from a user,
such as when an entire hand of the user touches or swipes
interactive textile 102. To enable this, interactive textile 102
includes a capacitive touch sensor 202 that is coupled to one or
more electronic components 203, such as flexible circuit boards,
sensors, heating elements, and so forth. In some cases, electronic
component 203 may include a textile controller 204 and a power
source 206.
[0040] Capacitive touch sensor 202 is configured to sense
touch-input when an object, such as a user's finger, hand, or a
conductive stylus, approaches or makes contact with capacitive
touch sensor 202. Unlike conventional hard touch pads, capacitive
touch sensor 202 uses a conductive thread 208 woven into
interactive textile 102 to sense touch-input. Thus, capacitive
touch sensor 202 does not alter the flexibility of interactive
textile 102, which enables interactive textile 102 to be easily
integrated within objects 104.
[0041] Power source 206 is coupled to textile controller 204 to
provide power to textile controller 204, and may be implemented as
a small battery. Textile controller 204 is coupled to capacitive
touch sensor 202. For example, wires from the conductive threads
208 may be connected to textile controller 204 using flexible PCB,
creping, gluing with conductive glue, soldering, and so forth.
[0042] In one or more implementations, electronic components 203
may also include one or more output devices, such as light sources
(e.g., LED's), displays, or speakers. In this case, the output
devices may also be connected to textile controller 204 to enable
textile controller 204 to control their output.
[0043] Textile controller 204 is implemented with circuitry that is
configured to detect the location of the touch-input on conductive
thread 208, as well as motion of the touch-input. When an object,
such as a user's finger, touches capacitive touch sensor 202, the
position of the touch can be determined by controller 204 by
detecting a change in capacitance on the grid of conductive thread
208. Textile controller 204 uses the touch-input to generate touch
data usable to control computing device 102. For example, the
touch-input can be used to determine various gestures, such as
single-finger touches (e.g., touches, taps, and holds),
multi-finger touches (e.g., two-finger touches, two-finger taps,
two-finger holds, and pinches), single-finger and multi-finger
swipes (e.g., swipe up, swipe down, swipe left, swipe right), and
full-hand interactions (e.g., touching the textile with a user's
entire hand, covering textile with the user's entire hand, pressing
the textile with the user's entire hand, palm touches, and rolling,
twisting, or rotating the user's hand while touching the textile).
Capacitive touch sensor 202 may be implemented as a
self-capacitance sensor, or a projective capacitance sensor, which
is discussed in more detail below.
[0044] Object 104 may also include network interfaces 210 for
communicating data, such as touch data, over wired, wireless, or
optical networks to computing devices 106. By way of example and
not limitation, network interfaces 210 may communicate data over a
local-area-network (LAN), a wireless local-area-network (WLAN), a
personal-area-network (PAN) (e.g., Bluetooth.TM.), a
wide-area-network (WAN), an intranet, the Internet, a peer-to-peer
network, point-to-point network, a mesh network, and the like
(e.g., through network 108 of FIG. 1).
[0045] In this example, computing device 106 includes one or more
computer processors 212 and computer-readable storage media
(storage media) 214. Storage media 214 includes applications 216
and/or an operating system (not shown) embodied as
computer-readable instructions executable by computer processors
212 to provide, in some cases, functionalities described herein.
Storage media 214 also includes a gesture manager 218 (described
below).
[0046] Computing device 106 may also include a display 220 and
network interfaces 222 for communicating data over wired, wireless,
or optical networks. For example, network interfaces 222 can
receive touch data sensed by interactive textile 102 from network
interfaces 210 of object 104. By way of example and not limitation,
network interface 222 may communicate data over a
local-area-network (LAN), a wireless local-area-network (WLAN), a
personal-area-network (PAN) (e.g., Bluetooth.TM.), a
wide-area-network (WAN), an intranet, the Internet, a peer-to-peer
network, point-to-point network, a mesh network, and the like.
[0047] Gesture manager 218 is capable of interacting with
applications 216 and interactive textile 102 effective to activate
various functionalities associated with computing device 106 and/or
applications 216 through touch-input (e.g., gestures) received by
interactive textile 102. Gesture manager 218 may be implemented at
a computing device 106 that is local to object 104, or remote from
object 104.
[0048] Having discussed a system in which interactive textile 102
can be implemented, now consider a more-detailed discussion of
interactive textile 102.
[0049] FIG. 3 illustrates an example 300 of interactive textile 102
in accordance with one or more implementations. In this example,
interactive textile 102 includes non-conductive threads 302 woven
with conductive threads 208 to form interactive textile 102.
Non-conductive threads 302 may correspond to any type of
non-conductive thread, fiber, or fabric, such as cotton, wool,
silk, nylon, polyester, and so forth.
[0050] At 304, a zoomed-in view of conductive thread 208 is
illustrated. Conductive thread 208 includes a conductive wire 306
that is twisted, braided, or wrapped with a flexible thread 308.
Twisting conductive wire 306 with flexible thread 308 causes
conductive thread 208 to be flexible and stretchy, which enables
conductive thread 208 to be easily woven with non-conductive
threads 302 to form interactive textile 102.
[0051] In one or more implementations, conductive wire 306 is a
thin copper wire. It is to be noted, however, that conductive wire
306 may also be implemented using other materials, such as silver,
gold, or other materials coated with a conductive polymer. Flexible
thread 308 may be implemented as any type of flexible thread or
fiber, such as cotton, wool, silk, nylon, polyester, and so
forth.
[0052] In one or more implementations, conductive thread 208
includes a conductive core that includes at least one conductive
wire 306 (e.g., one or more copper wires) and a cover layer,
configured to cover the conductive core, that is constructed from
flexible threads 308. In some cases, conductive wire 306 of the
conductive core is insulated. Alternately, conductive wire 306 of
the conductive core is not insulated.
[0053] In one or more implementations, the conductive core may be
implemented using a single, straight, conductive wire 306.
Alternately, the conductive core may be implemented using a
conductive wire 306 and one or more flexible threads 308. For
example, the conductive core may be formed by twisting one or more
flexible threads 308 (e.g., silk threads, polyester threads, or
cotton threads) with conductive wire 306 (e.g., as shown at 304 of
FIG. 3), or by wrapping flexible threads 308 around conductive wire
306.
[0054] In one or more implementations, the conductive core includes
flexible threads 308 braided with conductive wire 306. A variety of
different types of flexible threads 308 may be utilized to braid
with conductive wire 306, such as polyester or cotton, in order to
form the conductive core. In one or more implementations, however,
silk threads are used for the braided construction of the
conductive core. Silk threads are slightly twisted which enables
the silk threads to "grip" or hold on to conductive wire 306. Thus,
using silk threads may increase the speed at which the braided
conductive core can be manufactured. In contrast, a flexible thread
like polyester is slippery, and thus does not "grip" the conductive
wire as well as silk. Thus, a slippery thread is more difficult to
braid with the conductive wire, which may slow down the
manufacturing process.
[0055] An additional benefit of using silk threads to create the
braided conductive core is that silk is both thin and strong, which
enables the manufacture of a thin conductive core that will not
break during the interaction textile weaving process. A thin
conductive core is beneficial because it enables the manufacturer
to create whatever thickness they want for conductive thread 208
(e.g., thick or thin) when covering the conductive core with the
second layer.
[0056] After forming the conductive core, a cover layer is
constructed to cover the conductive core. In one or more
implementations, the cover layer is constructed by wrapping
flexible threads (e.g., polyester threads, cotton threads, wool
threads, or silk threads) around the conductive core. For example,
the cover layer may be formed by wrapping polyester threads around
the conductive core at approximately 1900 turns per yard.
[0057] In one or more implementations, the cover layer includes
flexible threads braided around the conductive core. The braided
cover layer may be formed using the same type of braiding as
described above. Any type of flexible thread 308 maybe used for the
braided cover layer. The thickness of the flexible thread and the
number of flexible threads that are braided around the conductive
core can be selected based on the desired thickness of conductive
thread 208. For example, if conductive thread 208 is intended to be
used for denim, a thicker flexible thread (e.g., cotton) and/or a
greater number of flexible threads may be used to form the cover
layer.
[0058] In one or more implementations, conductive thread 208 is
constructed with a "double-braided" structure. In this case, the
conductive core is formed by braiding flexible threads, such as
silk, with a conductive wire (e.g., copper), as described above.
Then, the cover layer is formed by braiding flexible threads (e.g.,
silk, cotton, or polyester) around the braided conductive core. The
double-braided structure is strong, and thus is unlikely to break
when being pulled during the weaving process. For example, when the
double-braided conductive thread is pulled, the braided structure
contracts and forces the braided core of copper to contract also
with makes the whole structure stronger. Further, the
double-braided structure is soft and looks like normal yarn, as
opposed to a cable, which is important for aesthetics and feel.
[0059] Interactive textile 102 can be formed cheaply and
efficiently, using any conventional weaving process (e.g., jacquard
weaving or 3D-weaving), which involves interlacing a set of longer
threads (called the warp) with a set of crossing threads (called
the weft). Weaving may be implemented on a frame or machine known
as a loom, of which there are a number of types. Thus, a loom can
weave non-conductive threads 302 with conductive threads 208 to
create interactive textile 102.
[0060] In example 300, conductive thread 208 is woven into
interactive textile 102 to form a grid that includes a set of
substantially parallel conductive threads 208 and a second set of
substantially parallel conductive threads 208 that crosses the
first set of conductive threads to form the grid. In this example,
the first set of conductive threads 208 are oriented horizontally
and the second set of conductive threads 208 are oriented
vertically, such that the first set of conductive threads 208 are
positioned substantially orthogonal to the second set of conductive
threads 208. It is to be appreciated, however, that conductive
threads 208 may be oriented such that crossing conductive threads
208 are not orthogonal to each other. For example, in some cases
crossing conductive threads 208 may form a diamond-shaped grid.
While conductive threads 208 are illustrated as being spaced out
from each other in FIG. 3, it is to be noted that conductive
threads 208 may be weaved very closely together. For example, in
some cases two or three conductive threads may be weaved closely
together in each direction. Further, in some cases the conductive
threads may be oriented as parallel sensing lines that do not cross
or intersect with each other.
[0061] Conductive wire 306 may be insulated to prevent direct
contact between crossing conductive threads 208. To do so,
conductive wire 306 may be coated with a material such as enamel or
nylon. Alternately, rather than insulating conductive wire 306,
interactive textile may be generated with three separate textile
layers to ensure that crossing conductive threads 208 do not make
direct contact with each other. The three textile layers may be
combined (e.g., by sewing or gluing the layers together) to form
interactive textile 102. In this example, a first textile layer may
include horizontal conductive threads 208 and a second textile
layer may include vertical conductive threads 208. A third textile
layer, that does not include any conductive threads, may be
positioned between the first and second textile layers to prevent
vertical conductive threads from making direct contact with
horizontal conductive threads 208.
[0062] In one or more implementations, interactive textile 102
includes a top textile layer and a bottom textile layer. The top
textile layer includes conductive threads 208 woven into the top
textile layer, and the bottom textile layer also includes
conductive threads woven into the bottom textile layer. When the
top textile layer is combined with the bottom textile layer, the
conductive threads from each layer form capacitive touch sensor
202. The top textile layer and the bottom textile layer may be
combined in a variety of different ways, such as by weaving,
sewing, or gluing the layers together to form interactive textile
102. In one or more implementations, the top and bottom textile
layers are combined using a jacquard weaving process or any type of
3D-weaving process. When the top and bottom textile layers are
combined, the conductive threads of the top layer couple to the
conductive threads of the bottom layer to form capacitive touch
sensor 202, as described above.
[0063] During operation,capacitive touch sensor 202 may be
configured to determine positions of touch-input on the grid of
conductive thread 208 using self-capacitance sensing or projective
capacitive sensing.
[0064] When configured as a self-capacitance sensor, textile
controller 204 charges crossing conductive threads 208 (e.g.,
horizontal and vertical conductive threads) by applying a control
signal (e.g., a sine signal) to each conductive thread 208. When an
object, such as the user's finger, touches the grid of conductive
thread 208, the conductive threads 208 that are touched are
grounded, which changes the capacitance (e.g., increases or
decreases the capacitance) on the touched conductive threads
208.
[0065] Textile controller 204 uses the change in capacitance to
identify the presence of the object. To do so, textile controller
204 detects a position of the touch-input by detecting which
horizontal conductive thread 208 is touched, and which vertical
conductive thread 208 is touched by detecting changes in
capacitance of each respective conductive thread 208. Textile
controller 204 uses the intersection of the crossing conductive
threads 208 that are touched to determine the position of the
touch-input on capacitive touch sensor 202. For example, textile
controller 204 can determine touch data by determining the position
of each touch as X, Y coordinates on the grid of conductive thread
208.
[0066] When implemented as a self-capacitance sensor, "ghosting"
may occur when multi-touch input is received. Consider, for
example, that a user touches the grid of conductive thread 208 with
two fingers. When this occurs, textile controller 204 determines X
and Y coordinates for each of the two touches. However, textile
controller 204 may be unable to determine how to match each X
coordinate to its corresponding Y coordinate. For example, if a
first touch has the coordinates X1, Y1 and a second touch has the
coordinates X4, Y4, textile controller 204 may also detect "ghost"
coordinates X1, Y4 and X4, Y1.
[0067] In one or more implementations, textile controller 204 is
configured to detect "areas" of touch-input corresponding to two or
more touch-input points on the grid of conductive thread 208.
Conductive threads 208 may be weaved closely together such that
when an object touches the grid of conductive thread 208, the
capacitance will be changed for multiple horizontal conductive
threads 208 and/or multiple vertical conductive threads 208. For
example, a single touch with a single finger may generate the
coordinates X1, Y1 and X2, Y1. Thus, textile controller 204 may be
configured to detect touch-input if the capacitance is changed for
multiple horizontal conductive threads 208 and/or multiple vertical
conductive threads 208. Note that this removes the effect of
ghosting because textile controller 204 will not detect touch-input
if two single-point touches are detected which are spaced
apart.
[0068] Alternately, when implemented as a projective capacitance
sensor, textile controller 204 charges a single set of conductive
threads 208 (e.g., horizontal conductive threads 208) by applying a
control signal (e.g., a sine signal) to the single set of
conductive threads 208. Then, textile controller 204 senses changes
in capacitance in the other set of conductive threads 208 (e.g.,
vertical conductive threads 208).
[0069] In this implementation, vertical conductive threads 208 are
not charged and thus act as a virtual ground. However, when
horizontal conductive threads 208 are charged, the horizontal
conductive threads capacitively couple to vertical conductive
threads 208. Thus, when an object, such as the user's finger,
touches the grid of conductive thread 208, the capacitance changes
on the vertical conductive threads (e.g., increases or decreases).
Textile controller 204 uses the change in capacitance on vertical
conductive threads 208 to identify the presence of the object. To
do so, textile controller 204 detects a position of the touch-input
by scanning vertical conductive threads 208 to detect changes in
capacitance. Textile controller 204 determines the position of the
touch-input as the intersection point between the vertical
conductive thread 208 with the changed capacitance, and the
horizontal conductive thread 208 on which the control signal was
transmitted. For example, textile controller 204 can determine
touch data by determining the position of each touch as X, Y
coordinates on the grid of conductive thread 208.
[0070] Whether implemented as a self-capacitance sensor or a
projective capacitance sensor, capacitive sensor 208 is configured
to communicate the touch data to gesture manager 218 to enable
gesture manager 218 to determine gestures based on the touch data,
which can be used to control object 104, computing device 106, or
applications 216 at computing device 106.
[0071] Gesture manager 218 can be implemented to recognize a
variety of different types of gestures, such as touches, taps,
swipes, holds, and covers made to interactive textile 102. To
recognize the various different types of gestures, gesture manager
218 is configured to determine a duration of the touch, swipe, or
hold (e.g., one second or two seconds), a number of the touches,
swipes, or holds (e.g., a single tap, a double tap, or a triple
tap), a number of fingers of the touch, swipe, or hold (e.g., a one
finger-touch or swipe, a two-finger touch or swipe, or a
three-finger touch or swipe), a frequency of the touch, and a
dynamic direction of a touch or swipe (e.g., up, down, left,
right). With regards to holds, gesture manager 218 can also
determine an area of capacitive touch sensor 202 of interactive
textile 102 that is being held (e.g., top, bottom, left, right, or
top and bottom. Thus, gesture manager 218 can recognize a variety
of different types of holds, such as a cover, a cover and hold, a
five finger hold, a five finger cover and hold, a three finger
pinch and hold, and so forth.
[0072] Connecting an Electronic Component to an Interactive
Textile
[0073] In order to sense multi-touch input, conductive threads 208
are connected to electronic components 203, such as a flexible
printed circuit board (PCB), during the manufacturing process. In
various implementations, a connection process is utilized to
connect an electronic component 203 to loose conductive threads 208
of an interactive textile 102. Consider, for example, FIG. 4 which
illustrates an example connection system 400 which may be utilized
to connect an electronic component to an interactive textile in
accordance with one or more implementations.
[0074] Connection system 400 is configured to receive an
interactive textile 102, which includes conductive threads 208
arranged in a grid or an array. As discussed above, each conductive
thread 208 includes a conductive wire (e.g., a copper wire) that is
twisted, braided, or wrapped with one or more flexible threads
(e.g., polyester or cotton threads). Interactive textile 102 is
configured such that some of the conductive threads 208 are loose
and break from the fabric of the interactive textile 102.
Generally, connection system 400 can be implemented to connect
electronic component 203 to the loose conductive threads 208 of
interactive textile 102. Connection system 400 is illustrated as
including a ribbonization component 402, a fabric stripping
component 404, a bonding component 406, a sealing component 408,
and an encapsulation component 410.
[0075] Ribbonization component 402 is representative of tools or
functionality to arrange the loose conductive threads 208 of
interactive textile 102 into a ribbon with a pitch that matches a
pitch of connection points 412 (e.g., plates or pads) of electronic
component 203. Stripping component receives the ribbon of
conductive threads, and strips non-conductive material (e.g., silk
or polyester) from the conductive threads 208 of the ribbon to
expose the conductive wires. Next, bonding component 406 bonds
connection points 412 of electronic component 203 to the conductive
wires of the ribbon.
[0076] After connection points 412 of electronic component 203 are
attached to the conductive threads 208 of interactive textile 102,
the sealing component 408 seals the conductive threads 208 that are
positioned adjacent to the ribbon to protect the conductive threads
208 against water ingress and corrosion. Then, the encapsulation
component 410 applies a water-resistant material (e.g., a film,
plastic, or polymer) to the electronic component 203 which
permanently mounts the electronic component 203 to the interactive
textile while also preventing water from being able to corrode the
electronic component 203.
[0077] In one or more implementations, connection system 400
further includes a controller 414 which may be implemented in
computer-executable instructions, and configured to control
connection system 400 to attach electronic component 203 to
interactive textile 102. For example, controller 414 is configured
to control machinery of connection system 400 to automate at least
a portion of the procedures performed by components 402 to 410.
[0078] Now, consider a more-detailed discussion of each of
ribbonization component 402, stripping component 404, bonding
component 406, sealing component 408, and encapsulation component
410.
[0079] FIG. 5 illustrates a system 500 in which the ribbonization
component of FIG. 4 is implemented to arrange loose conductive
threads 208 of interactive textile 102 into a ribbon. In this
example, ribbonization component 402 receives an interactive
textile 102 with loose conductive threads 208, as described above.
A comb tool 502, of ribbonization component, is utilized to collect
the loose conductive threads 208 that break out of the fabric
surface of the interactive textile 102, and organize the loose
conductive threads into a pitch that matches the pitch of
connection points 412 of electronic component 203. In one or more
implementations, the pitch of the comb tool may be
mechanically-adjustable (e.g., using a dial), to enable the
manufacturer to adjust the pitch of comb tool 502 to correspond to
the pitch of the particular electronic component 203.
[0080] For example, comb tool 502 includes multiple openings that
are configured to receive the loose conductive threads 208 of
interactive textile 102. The distance between each opening, or
pitch, can be mechanically adjusted to conform the distance between
openings of the comb tool 502 to the pitch of the connection points
412 of the electronic component 203. Thus, each of the loose
conductive threads 208 may be collected and placed into one of the
openings of the comb tool 502, thereby arranging the loose
conductive threads 208 to conform to the pitch of the electronic
component 203.
[0081] Next, a film 504 is placed over the organized conductive
threads 208 within the comb tool 502. Film 504 may be implemented
in a variety of different ways, such as scotch tape, molded polymer
silicone, or hot glue, to name just a few. After film 504 is placed
over the arranged conductive threads 208, a heating element 506 is
applied to the film 504 to generate a hardened ribbon 508. Note
that ribbon 508 secures the conductive threads 208, of interactive
textile 102, such that the conductive threads 208 are permanently
aligned with the of the connection points of electronic component
203.
[0082] Notably, ribbonization component 402, comb tool 502, and
heating element 506 may be implemented in a variety of different
ways. However, FIG. 6A-6C illustrate examples of a ribbonization
component in accordance with one or more implementations.
[0083] FIG. 6A illustrates an example 600 of a comb tool of a
ribbonization component in accordance with various implementations.
In this example, the loose conductive threads 208 of interactive
textile 102 are collected and placed into each opening of the comb
tool 502. In some cases, a user places the loose conductive threads
208 into each opening of comb tool 502. Alternately, this process
maybe at least partially automatic such that controller 414
controls machinery of connection system 400 to cause the loose
conductive threads 208 to be placed into the openings of the comb
tool 502.
[0084] FIG. 6B illustrates an additional example of the comb tool
of the ribbonization component in accordance with various
implementations. At 602, the comb tool 502 is controlled to open to
apply tension to the arranged conductive threads 208 within the
comb tool 502. At 604, film 504 is applied to the arranged
conductive threads 208 within the comb tool 502.
[0085] FIG. 6C illustrates an example of a heating element of the
ribbonization component in accordance with various implementations.
In this example, heating element 506 is positioned over film 504,
and pressed down to heat film 504, thereby generating the hardened
ribbon 508 in which the organized conductive threads 208 are
secured to match the pitch of connection points 412.
[0086] FIG. 7 illustrates a system 700 in which the stripping
component 404 of FIG. 4 is implemented to remove non-conductive
material from the conductive threads 208 of the ribbon 508 in
accordance with one or more implementations. In this example,
stripping component 404 receives the ribbon 508 generated by
ribbonization component 402, as described above. As described
throughout, each conductive thread of the ribbon 508 includes
non-conductive material that needs to be removed to enable the
attachment of the conductive threads of ribbon 508 to the
connection points of the electronic component 203.
[0087] A hot blade 702 of stripping component 404 is utilized to
strip or remove the non-conductive material (e.g., flexible threads
308, such as silk threads, polyester threads, or cotton threads)
from the conductive threads 208 of ribbon 508. Doing so exposes the
conductive wires 306 of conductive threads 208, which is
illustrated at 704.
[0088] 100671 Hot blade 702 is configured to burn or melt the
non-conductive material from conductive threads 208 without melting
or burning the conductive wire 306 of conductive thread 208. To do
so, a temperature of the hot blade 702 can be set such that the
temperature is hot enough to burn or melt the non-conductive
material without burning or melting the conductive wire 306.
[0089] Notably, using hot blade 702 increases the efficiency of the
stripping process because the hot blade can strip the
non-conductive material from the conductive threads 208 of the
ribbon 508 at a single time, making the process efficient.
Alternately, however, heating elements other than hot blade 702 may
be used. For example, in one or more implementations, a laser beam
can be utilized to abate the non-conductive material. In this case,
an absorption of the laser is low to cause the laser beam to abate
the non-conductive material without abating the conductive
wire.
[0090] Notably, stripping component 404 may be implemented in a
variety of different ways. However, FIG. 8A illustrates an example
of a stripping component in accordance with one or more
implementations. In this example, stripping component 404 is
implemented as a "hand tool" which can be at least partially
operated by a user. Stripping component 404 includes hot blade 702,
which in this example includes an upper blade 802 and a lower blade
804.
[0091] FIG. 8B illustrates an additional example of the stripping
component in accordance with one or more implementations. In this
example, ribbon 508 is placed on the stripping component 404 and
aligned by placing the ribbon 508 over tension pins of the
stripping component which line up with the outermost corners of the
ribbon 508 and allow the ribbon to be properly centered. Tension
can then be applied to the conductive thread of the ribbon by
pushing the top blade back.
[0092] FIG. 8C illustrates an additional example of the stripping
component in accordance with one or more implementations. In this
example, a handle 806 is pulled towards the user to cause the upper
blade 802 to rest on the lower blade 804. The blades are then
heated to a temperature that is hot enough to burn or melt the
non-conductive threads without burning or melting the conductive
wire (e.g., a temperature of approximately 260 degrees Celsius).
The upper blade 802 is allowed to rest on the lower blade 804 for a
predefined period of time that causes the non-conductive threads to
burn or melt (e.g., 12 seconds). Then, the blades are pushed away
from the user to strip the non-conductive material from the
conductive threads 208 of ribbon 508 to expose conductive wires
306.
[0093] FIG. 9 illustrates a system 900 in which the bonding
component of FIG. 4 is implemented to bond an electronic component
to the conductive threads of the ribbon.
[0094] In this example, bonding component 406 receives the ribbon
508 with exposed conductive wires 306. The bonding component 406
aligns the connection points 412 of electronic component 203 with
the stripped conductive wires 306 of ribbon 508. Next, bonding
component 406 preps a hot bar 902 with solder 904, and applies heat
by pressing the hot bar 902 with solder 904 against the exposed
conductive wires 306 and the connection points 412 to cause each
exposed conductive wire to bond to a respective connection point of
the electronic component, which is illustrated at 906. Notably,
because the collected conductive threads of the ribbon 508 have the
same pitch as the connection points 412 of the electronic component
203, this process is similar to attaching standard cables. Bonding
component 406 may be implemented in a variety of different ways.
However, in one or more implementations, bonding component 406 is
implemented as a "hand tool" which can be at least partially
operated by a user.
[0095] FIG. 10 illustrates a system 1000 in which the sealing
component 408 of FIG. 4 is implemented to seal the conductive
threads in accordance with one or more implementations. In this
example, sealing component 408 receives electronic component 203
with bonded conductive threads 208. An epoxy tool 1002 is utilized
to apply epoxy 1004 to each of the conductive threads 208.
[0096] In one or more implementations, the epoxy tool is
implemented with a multi-nozzle syringe head which enables the
epoxy to be simultaneously applied to each of the conductive
threads 208. For example, the multi-head nozzle may be implemented
with 12 nozzles to enable the epoxy to be applied to 12 conductive
threads 208 at once. Alternately, the epoxy tool 1002 may be
implemented with a single nozzle, in which case the epoxy muse be
individually applied to each conductive thread.
[0097] As an example, consider FIG. 11 which illustrates an example
1100 of epoxy tools in accordance with one or more implementations.
At 1102, a single-head nozzle is illustrated, and at 1104 a
multi-head nozzle tool is illustrated. Notably, the epoxy 1004 is
applied to the conductive threads 208 that are at the base of
ribbon 508, such that the ribbon is between the applied epoxy and
electronic component 203. After the epoxy 1004 is applied, the
epoxy and conductive threads are cured with UV light or heat by
placing the electronic component and the attached conductive
threads into a curing box 1006. Doing so causes the epoxy to wick
into the fiber of the conductive thread 208, which prevents liquid
from being drawn up from the conductive threads 208 to the
electronic component 203.
[0098] FIG. 12 illustrates a system 1200 in which the encapsulation
component 410 of FIG. 4 is implemented to encapsulate the
electronic component 203 bonded to the interactive textile 102. In
this example, encapsulation component 410 receives electronic
component 203 with bonded conductive threads which have been sealed
with epoxy, as described above.
[0099] In the encapsulation process, the electronic component 203
that is bonded to the conductive wires 306 is permanently mounted
on the interactive textile 102. To protect the electronic component
203, a water-resistant enclosure (e.g., plastic or polymer) is
bonded to the fabric of the interactive textile 102 such that the
electronic component 203 is housed within the encapsulation.
[0100] To do so, the electronic component 203 and ribbon 508 are
placed into a mold 1202. Then, a water-resistant material 1204, or
other water-resistant material, is applied to the mold 1202 (e.g.,
using an extrusion gun) such that the water-resistant material
hardens around the electronic component 203 and the ribbon 508. The
electronic component 203 and ribbon 508 are then removed from the
mold 1302, and the polymer hardens around the electronic component
and ribbon to form an encapsulation 1206. Notably, the electronic
component 203, ribbon 508, and the conductive threads proximate
ribbon 508 are completely encapsulated. Furthermore, since the
conductive threads at the base of ribbon 508 are sealed, water is
prevented from being drawn up into the encapsulation 1206.
[0101] Example Methods
[0102] FIG. 13 illustrates an example method 1300 of connecting an
electronic component to an interactive textile. This method is
shown as sets of blocks that specify operations performed but are
not necessarily limited to the order or combinations shown for
performing the operations by the respective blocks. The techniques
are not limited to performance by one entity or multiple entities
operating on one device.
[0103] At 1302, loose conductive threads of an interactive textile
are collected and organized into a ribbon with a pitch that matches
a pitch of connection points of an electronic component. For
example, ribbonization component 402 collects and organizes loose
conductive threads 208 of interactive textile 102 into a ribbon 508
with a pitch that matches a pitch of connection points 412 of
electronic component 203.
[0104] At 1304, non-conductive material of the conductive threads
of the ribbon are stripped to expose conductive wires of the
conductive threads. For example, stripping component 404 strips
non-conductive material of the conductive threads 208 of ribbon 508
to expose conducive wires 306.
[0105] At 1306, the connection points of the electronic component
are bonded to the exposed conductive wires of the ribbon. For
example, bonding component 406 bonds connection points 412 of
electronic component 203 to the exposed conductive wires 306 of
ribbon 508.
[0106] At 1308, conductive threads at the base of the ribbon are
sealed with an epoxy. For example, sealing component 408 seals
conductive threads 208 at the base of ribbon 508 with an epoxy
1004.
[0107] At 1310, the electronic component and the ribbon are
encapsulated with a water-resistant material. For example,
encapsulation component 410 encapsulates the electronic component
203 and ribbon 508 with a water-resistant material, such as plastic
or polymer.
[0108] Example Computing System
[0109] FIG. 14 illustrates various components of an example
computing system 1400 that can be implemented as any type of
client, server, and/or computing device as described with reference
to the previous FIGS. 1-13 to implement connecting an electronic
component to an interactive textile. In embodiments, computing
system 1400 can be implemented as one or a combination of a wired
and/or wireless wearable device, System-on-Chip (SoC), and/or as
another type of device or portion thereof. Computing system 1400
may also be associated with a user (e.g., a person) and/or an
entity that operates the device such that a device describes
logical devices that include users, software, firmware, and/or a
combination of devices.
[0110] Computing system 1400 includes communication devices 1402
that enable wired and/or wireless communication of device data 1404
(e.g., received data, data that is being received, data scheduled
for broadcast, data packets of the data, etc.). Device data 1404 or
other device content can include configuration settings of the
device, media content stored on the device, and/or information
associated with a user of the device. Media content stored on
computing system 1400 can include any type of audio, video, and/or
image data. Computing system 1400 includes one or more data inputs
1406 via which any type of data, media content, and/or inputs can
be received, such as human utterances, touch data generated by
interactive textile 102, user-selectable inputs (explicit or
implicit), messages, music, television media content, recorded
video content, and any other type of audio, video, and/or image
data received from any content and/or data source.
[0111] Computing system 1400 also includes communication interfaces
1408, which can be implemented as any one or more of a serial
and/or parallel interface, a wireless interface, any type of
network interface, a modem, and as any other type of communication
interface. Communication interfaces 1408 provide a connection
and/or communication links between computing system 1400 and a
communication network by which other electronic, computing, and
communication devices communicate data with computing system
1400.
[0112] Computing system 1400 includes one or more processors 1410
(e.g., any of microprocessors, controllers, and the like), which
process various computer-executable instructions to control the
operation of computing system 1400 and to enable techniques for, or
in which can be embodied, interactive textiles. Alternatively or in
addition, computing system 1400 can be implemented with any one or
combination of hardware, firmware, or fixed logic circuitry that is
implemented in connection with processing and control circuits
which are generally identified at 1412. Although not shown,
computing system 1400 can include a system bus or data transfer
system that couples the various components within the device. A
system bus can include any one or combination of different bus
structures, such as a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral
bus, a universal serial bus, and/or a processor or local bus that
utilizes any of a variety of bus architectures.
[0113] Computing system 1400 also includes computer-readable media
1414, such as one or more memory devices that enable persistent
and/or non-transitory data storage (i.e., in contrast to mere
signal transmission), examples of which include random access
memory (RAM), non-volatile memory (e.g., any one or more of a
read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, EPROM, EEPROM, etc.), and a
disk storage device. A disk storage device may be implemented as
any type of magnetic or optical storage device, such as a hard disk
drive, a recordable and/or rewriteable compact disc (CD), any type
of a digital versatile disc (DVD), and the like. Computing system
1400 can also include a mass storage media device 1416.
[0114] Computer-readable media 1414 provides data storage
mechanisms to store device data 1404, as well as various device
applications 1418 and any other types of information and/or data
related to operational aspects of computing system 1400. For
example, an operating system 1420 can be maintained as a computer
application with computer-readable media 1414 and executed on
processors 1410. Device applications 1418 may include a device
manager, such as any form of a control application, software
application, signal-processing and control module, code that is
native to a particular device, a hardware abstraction layer for a
particular device, and so on.
[0115] Device applications 1418 also include any system components,
engines, or managers to implement connecting an electronic
component to an interactive textile. In this example, device
applications 1418 include gesture manager 218 and controller
414.
[0116] Conclusion
[0117] Although embodiments of connecting an electronic component
to an interactive textile have been described in language specific
to features and/or methods, it is to be understood that the subject
of the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific
features or methods described. Rather, the specific features and
methods are disclosed as example implementations of connecting an
electronic component to an interactive textile.
* * * * *